Anabella

I switched my cell phone back on and checked on my missed calls. I had seventeen missed calls from Luke Stevens and one from my brother Brian. Obviously, the seventeen missed calls were ignored and I dialed on my brother's name instead. The phone rang several seconds and then I heard his deep over the phone.

"Anabella, why didn't you pick up?" He said. That was typical of him. Brian was extremely impatient.

"Brian my phone was off," I replied.

"What if something happened to dad?" He asked. I panicked.

"What? Did something happen to dad?" I asked with a beating heart that rushed its pace like a racer.

"No, but something could have happened. Why are you so careless? Don't you give a shit about dad?" He accused me.

"You know that's not true. Brian, just tell me why you called," I said losing my breath and my patience. 

 "Why else would I call? I'm outside your apartment," he said. I walked towards the window to check. I moved the printed blue-flowered curtain to take a peek and as I did I heard the honking of his car.

"See?" He told me. 

 "Okay, I'm coming," I replied. I grabbed my purse and walked out of my apartment.

***

Brian had a blue Toyota which I really loved. I opened the door of the car, entered and put my seatbelt on.

"Took you long. I've been waiting for fifteen minutes," he said as he drove off and left the miraculous parking space in front of my nutmeg, bricked old building apartment.

"You can't be serious," I said and he frowned.

"Well, I am," he replied as he drove off. I hardly glanced at the city of Chicago anymore. I was always so busy working day and night that I hardly had any time to take a glance at all, but there it was the, busses, the shops, the bakery, the hardware store, restaurants, sporadic trees with branches for shading the sidewalks, people walking in and out of places, on the sideways and cars parked here and there. Brian stopped at a red light. I glanced at him and he frowned back at me.

"By the way what day is it today? November..." he said in a playful tone.

"November four," I answered.

"Oh, right... happy birthday," he said with his chocolate eyes glancing at the street and I rolled my eyes. He was a very diligent driver who wore his seatbelt on, checked his car for any creaking or twinkling sound and he used both hands on the steering wheel. 

"Thank you. I thought you forgot about it."

"How can I forget when dad does nothing but talk to me about it all week," Brian said.

"He talked about my birthday all week?" I asked. Brian changed stepped on the gas slowly when the red light turned green.

"Yeah, he's been talking about it all week. First, he was moping around the house, depressed because he didn't know what to give you and then a few days later he was ecstatic about it. He says his present will change your life."

"What? Oh my God, what did he do?" I wondered out loud.

"I don't know," Brian answered. 

"I told him not to spend any money. I hope he didn't buy me a couch or something. The last time he came to my apartment he was complaining that mine was too small," I said.

"I hope he doesn't give you the one that's home," Brian protested. I tapped him on his shoulder and laughed. 

"You really are a jerk," I said.

"Yeah, but I'm a jerk who likes comfort. I don't like my shit being moved around," he said. 

"Don't you mean dad's shit?" I asked, but the minute I said that I regretted it. I could see the pain in his eyes, although he tried to brush it off quickly. He punched the button on the radio and turned up the volume. A DJ was talking about some situation that happened a couple of days ago with some musician, but I didn't know who he was talking about and right now I could really care less.

"Brian, I'm sorry," I said, but he waved me off.

"Na, that's alright. Don't worry about it. Today's your birthday, just chill," he said.

"Brian... please," I mumbled and grabbed his shoulder, but he shoved me off.

"I said don't worry about it, just leave it alone," he replied. I tried to be calm, but I felt remorse for what I had said. It was not my intention to insult him. I knew he had just come out of the Navy and was trying real hard to get a job as a cop. In fact him being at my dad's was a real blessing because with his heart condition. Now Brian wouldn't leave him alone and help him when I couldn't.

"I think it's excellent that your living in dad's house," I said.

"I told you to drop it," Brian reprimanded.

"No... seriously, dad needs you, I need you. If it weren't for you dad would have been dead," I said. Brian didn't look at me and he kept his eyes on the road. Then after the silence felt awkward he answered.

"Okay," he said. I didn't think he felt all that better in that moment and neither did I, but I knew that on our way to Forest Avenue East Peoria, he'd cheer up. The ride from here to there was an hour and a half so there would eventually be some chit-chatting later on. I knew that he would forgive me and if not I would request it since it was my birthday today and for one day, this day, I was a queen. He took route 66 to go to the Center of Illinois. I was leaving the city and heading for the country. I crossed my arms as the loudspeakers almost blew my ears away. We were listening to some hard rock, since Brian seemed to have a devotion for crazy heavy metal and it was driving me nuts. I was about to touch the button to change the radio station when luckily "Livin' on a Prayer" was the next song and I had to admit that I loved this classic rock song. On a red light, Brian and I looked at each other awkwardly and then all of a sudden, like two seconds later, my brother was nodding his head and singing at the tune and I followed. We laughed as we sang and I knew that the tension between us was gone. 

https://youtu.be/Ht8WVgaEzaE